Monthly Archives: May 2013

May, 2013 – Zenescope Entertainment is proud to announce its plans for Wizard World Philadelphia 2013. The company will be exhibiting at the convention at Booth #417 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center all weekend long as well as sponsoring the after-party at the Fieldhouse on Saturday June 1st.

Zenescope will have several limited edition exclusives available for sale at its booth, including covers by artists Eric “EBAS” Basaldua, Elias Chatzoudis, Tyler Kirkham and Anthony Spay. Joe Brusha and Ralph Tedesco, Zenescope co-founders and writers/creators will be signing at booth #417 throughout the weekend along with Raven Gregory, Anthony Spay, Pat Shand and Tyler Kirkham. Director Jon Schnepp and artist Mike Capprotti will also be stopping by the booth for appearances.

The highlight of the convention will be the Philadelphia premiere of the pilot episode of Grimm Fairy Tales Animated. The screening has been packing the house since its debut at C2E2 in April and will be shown FREE (on a first come basis) at the “Grimm Fairy Tales Animated” screening held on Saturday, June 1st from 12:00pm to 1:00pm in Room 108 of the convention center. The screening will be hosted by Zenescope co-founders and producers Joe Brusha and Ralph Tedesco and director/ producer Jon Schnepp. The pilot features the voices of Lena Headey (Game of Thrones, 300), Briana Evigan (Step Up 2, The Devil’s Carnival, Chris Hardwick (Nerdist), Robert Forster (Jackie Brown) and character designs by top artists such as Alex Pardee, Eric Powell and Bill Sienkiewicz. The panel will also feature never seen before behind the scenes footage of the making of the pilot!

Zenescope Entertainment will also be bringing their creators together for the “Hollywood and Comics” panel, which will be held in room 108 on Friday, May 31st from 2:00pm to 3:00pm. Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco and Jon Schnepp will be on hand to talk about what studios are looking for as well as share the news on what titles of theirs are being developed as TV and film properties.

As mentioned, Zenescope will also be sponsoring the Wizard World party Saturday, June 1st at the Field House at 1150 Filbert St Philadelphia, PA 19107 . Be sure to stop be the party to chat with members of Zenescope’s creative team.

Here are the exclusives we will have available at the booth (Booth #417):

May, 2013 – Zenescope Entertainment is proud to announce its plans for Phoenix Comicon 2013. The company will be exhibiting at the show at Booth #973. There will be several limited edition exclusives available at the show, including covers by artists Mike Krome, Jamie Tyndall and Elias Chatzoudis. Ralph Tedesco, Zenescope Editor-in-Chief and writer (Grimm Fairy Tales & Salem’s Daughter), will be signing at the Zenescope booth #973 throughout the weekend along with Nei Ruffino, Jamie Tyndall, Raven Gregory, Anthony Spay, Pat Shand and Larry Watts making appearances.

The highlight of the show for the company will be the premiere the pilot episode of Grimm Fairy Tales Animated, which will be during the “Grimm Fairy Tales Animated” screening hosted by Zenescope co-founder and producer Ralph Tedesco and director/ producer Jon Schnepp. The screening will be held in room 232A on Saturday, May 25th from 8:30pm to 9:30pm. This premiere will attract a lot of attention, and features the voices of Lena Headey (Game of Thrones, 300), Briana Evigan (Step Up 2, The Devil’s Carnival) and Chris Hardwick (Nerdist) Robert Forster (Jackie Brown), amongst other great voice talent. The character designs were done by top artists Alex Pardee, Eric Powell, Bill Sienkiewicz and more top industry talent. With Titmouse Inc handling the animation, and Jon Schnepp directing, this pilot touts an all-star cast.

Zenescope Entertainment will be bringing their writers together for the “Comics and More” panel. The panel will be held in room 125B on Saturday, May 25th from 3:00pm to 4:00pm. Ralph Tedesco, Raven Gregory, Pat Shand, and Anthony Spay will be on hand to talk about the upcoming titles and some previous unannounced new series coming out from Zenescope this year.

Here are the exclusives we will have available at the booth (Booth #973):

Wow, can you believe it? It’s more Unleashed! GFT Vampires The Eternal #2 to be exact!

Here is the Zenescoop Preview of this bloody bit of comic book goodness.

Written by Pat Shand, with covers by Stjepan Sejic and Sean Chen, pencils by Vittorio Garofoli and colors by Slamet Nujiono. This is an exciting mini series, and it’s only 3 parts, so be sure to get this issue, and be ready for the final issue in about a month!

So you walked into your local comic shop and saw that Zenescope had launched their latest event, Unleashed. The art looked pretty sweet, so you picked up the first couple issues, read them and was blown away. “This Unleashed book is awesome!” you think to yourself. “I’m gonna pick up more of these Grimm Universe books.”

And then you see shelf after shelf of trade paperbacks on the shelf. Thirteen volumes (and counting) of Grimm Fairy Tales. More book with Wonderland in the title than you can count. Neverland. Sinbad. Myths & Legends. It’s too much and you feel a trickle of blood run down your nose. Minutes later you end up on the floor, mumbling to yourself that you just didn’t know where to start and you end up eating lime jell-o for the rest of your life.

Now, no one wants that, especially the fine folks here at Zenescope.

Which is why I have put together this little primer, a cheat sheet if you will, to help you navigate through this new universe you have discovered. Once we’re through, you will have a solid foundation on where to start in the Grimm Universe, a reading order you can follow to help you get caught up, and you will be all set for what is to come in Unleashed. Because, believe me, you do not want to miss it.

The Dream Eater Saga volume 1 & 2

By Raven Gregory

A horror called The Dream Eater has been unleashed on the Grimm Universe and it will take the combined might of all it’s heroes to stop the terror before it’s too late. But can Sela, Belinda, Baba Yaga and the rest put aside their differences long enough to stop him? Or will this be the end for Grimm Universe as we know it?

The Dream Eater Saga was the first Zenescope crossover and it was a big one. Not only did it gather together all the various characters of the Grimm Universe in one book, but it also shook that universe to it’s foundations. The effects can still be felt today and there is no better way to learn all about the Grimm Universe than reading these two amazing volumes.

Godstorm

By Pat Shand and Jason Johnson

The Gods of old have been living among us, biding their time, waiting for the right moment to reveal themselves and make their return. The God of Beauty has decided that she has waited long enough and has begun to recruit other Gods to her side, putting a plan in motion to enslave mankind. Can she be stopped? And what role will Zeus and his son play in the drama?

If you have read Unleashed, than you already know that the Greek Gods are going to play a big role in the events that are to come. But it all started in Godstorm, a miniseries that flew under the radar when it came out, but ended up having HUGE consequences for the Grimm Universe. And it includes the first appearance of The Being (the main bad guy from Unleashed), so what more do you need to know?

Myths & Legends volume 5

By various

Baba Yaga has finally assembled all the pieces of the Sunstone so she cal unleash Helios, the mad Highborn, upon the world. Sela has gathered a group of false-bloods together, including Red Riding Hood, Samantha and more, to try and stop her. But even if they do, can anyone stop Helios, who is bent on watching the world burn?

Myths & Legends volume 5 collects the final issues of the Grimm Fairy Tales spin-off and it went out with a real bang. This is epic level story-telling and wall to wall action starring all the important players in the Grimm Universe. Once you finish it you will have a great feeling for the tone and style of the books Zenescope publishes.

Bad Girls

By Joey Esposito

Baba Yaga. The Goblin Queen. Venus. The Queen of Spades. Alicia, the Mistress of Limbo.

Five of the most powerful, evil women in the Grimm Universe have joined forces to gain control of the Nexus with a plan to use an ancient artifact to unleash the Flesh Reavers and destroy all of humanity. Sela, Samantha, Hook and Red Riding Hood are hopelessly outmatched, out numbered and outgunned.

Sometimes it pays to be a Bad Girl.

Another of Zenescope’s “everything and the kitchen sink” event comics, Bad Girls is a great, action packed read that could have been an event all on it’s own. Both it and Myths & Legends vol. 5 did a lot to show the different relationships between the characters and foreshadow events that are happening right now. Plus, it’s just a really great comic.

Grimm Fairy Tales vol. 13

By various

After the events of Grimm Fairy Tales #75, Sela is lost, alone, and without hope. So when the authorities throw her in jail, she does nothing to stop them thinking that it’s what she deserves. But when inmates start dying horribly at the hands of a mysterious entity, she is forced to try and stop them and maybe, begin the long road to redemption in the process.

Sela is the undisputed star of the Grimm Universe and has been since day one, of that there is no question. So if this is all new to you, there is no better place to go if you want to learn all about Sela and what motivates her. It’s been said that Sela kicks more ass in one comic than Wonder Woman and Batgirl combined. This is the book to read if you want to find out why.

And there you have it; five books that are the perfect place to start if you are new to the Grimm Universe. So once you finish the opening chapters of Unleashed, head back to your local comic shop for another does of Grimm Fairy Tales.

Because no one wants to see you eating lime jell-o when there are so many other things you could be doing.

Zenescoop Previews is BACK! This week we preview the biggest debut of the week: Robyn Hood Wanted #1!

We start off with the awesome cover by Artgerm!

And now for the guts…

We have gained a lot of new readers thanks to the Robyn Hood series, and Robyn Hood Wanted is gearing up to be one hell of a title. Written by Pat Shand, and will interior pencils by Larry Watts, this book is one you don’t want to miss!

Be sure to LIKE us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to share your thoughts on our comics. Until next time!

Greetings, Zenescope faithful! As UNLEASHED gets rolling, the writers of the big horror event of 2013 have gotten together to talk about it. In the near future, you’ll see Raven Gregory, Mark L. Miller, Troy Brownfield and Pat Shand interviewing AND being interviewed by each other. You can read the pieces here on the Zenescope Blog, then hop over to the Z-Facebook page to post your own questions which the guys can drop by and answer. Remember: the Grimm Universe isn’t just our universe; it’s YOUR universe. You are the readers, and we want you to be as much as a part of this event as we are.

First up, Newsarama alum and writer of Zombies: The Cursed Troy Brownfield dusts off his interview hat to talk to Pat Shand, writer of Vampires, Demons, and Unleashed in general.

TROY BROWNFIELD: Pat, I think that everyone understands the basic premise of Unleashed at this point, but they might not know where the whole idea originated. Could you give us some insight into how the ball got rolling, and were some of the new characters like Helsing and Samira came in?

PAT SHAND: The gist of it is that a mysterious being has opened a portal to a hell dimension known as the Shadowland, unleashing hordes of vampires, werewolves, zombies, demons, and other nasties onto Earth. So essentially we’ve got the Grimm Fairy Tales characters vs. classic monsters, which I think is just so much fun… but then you’ve got the added element of mystery. Who is the Being? What does he want? We’re building something very different from your normal summer blockbuster event, and I think fans of our books and new readers alike will be shocked.

Helsing has already had a great reaction. She’s the daughter of Abraham Van Helsing, the original, and she’s one of four timelost monster hunters who had been banished to the Shadowlands. When the monsters come out, so does she… so the Being has her to reckon with. Samira is the antithesis of Helsing – she’s the Being’s right hand man, and the Queen of all Vampires. Both of them are the stars of my tie-in series, VAMPIRES: THE ETERNAL.

TROY: You and Raven are arguably the architects of this particular event. Can you talk about what it’s like working with Raven, and do the two of you have a particular style in which you collaborate?

PAT: Raven will call me up, rattle off a 2Pac quote, I’ll sing the next line, and then we’ll talk shit for a little while. Before you know it, we have a plot. We’re just natural collaborators and we feed off each other’s ideas. Also, we pretty instantly know if an idea isn’t work based on the other’s reaction. Plotting with Raven is so natural that half the time it feels like we’re just fucking around and talking about friendly bullshit, so it’s surprising that the plot for Unleashed came out so tight. I guess it’s not really a surprise, though, because the collaboration is just so natural.

TROY: I will now ask the most predictable of comics interview questions: Pat, how did you break into comics?

PAT: I was running a review site for IDW’s Angel comics. I loved what they were doing, so I made it a point to get in touch with all of the folks working on those books. Not because I was trying to break in then, but because I loved the work they were doing. I befriended a lot of the writers and editors and started pitching, but it wasn’t until the last Angel book they published that they gave me a shot and put one of my stories in. Dream come true. I used that as a stepping stone and started working with other companies. Zenescope really pushed me as a writer, so when they asked me to go exclusive, it was a no-brainer.

TROY: Hypothetical Question: Joe and Ralph decide that you have to let someone else write the next Robyn Hood mini after Wanted, but you get to pick a different Grimm Universe character for your own new mini to run at the same time. Which writer would you pick to write the Robyn Hood mini and why, and which other character would you put into your mini and why?

PAT: Man, this answer is going to make me seem like such a dick. But I just couldn’t. I love writing Robyn more than any other character. I could sooner give someone my arms than pass Robyn Hood off in the middle of the story I’m telling. Her voice is my voice, you know? She is a bigger part of me than any other character, and losing that would be to lose some of myself. As far as working on another character in a miniseries, I’ve been asking about doing a Red Riding Hood or Van Helsing title a lot this year. We’ll see which of those happen first.

Zenescope Entertainment Heads to Local Comic Shops for Free Comic Book Day

Zenescope Entertainment and members of their creative team are proud to be making appearances at several local comic book shops this Saturday for Free Comic Book Day. Fan can meet and interact with members of the company’s staff and creative talent, while getting their hands on some of Zenescope’s most popular titles. For many millions, Free Comic Book Day is a celebration of the entertainment and excitement that reading and collecting comics bring.

“We’re excited to be a part of Free Comic Book Day and to be a part of an industry that celebrates their fan base,” states Zenescope’s Marketing Manager Stephen Haberman. “We do the conventions primarily to connect with our fans across the country. Now, during Free Comic Book Day, we can thank the fans and the local comic shops in our neighborhoods for supporting our titles.”

Here is where you can find a member of the Zenescope team this Saturday:

Captain Blue Hen Comics (Newark, Delaware)

Wade’s Comic Madness (Levittown, Pennsylvania)

Comics and More (King of Prussia, Pennsylvania)

Jesse James Comics (Glendale, Arizona)

Collectors Kingdom (Huntington Station, New York)

AlleyCat Comics (Chicago, Illinois)

Corner Store Comics (Anaheim, California)

If you would like to read more about these appearances, or Zenescope in general, be sure to Follow Zenescope of Twitter, LIKE them on Facebook, or read the official Zenescope blog.

Zenescope Entertainment was founded by Joe Brusha and Ralph Tedesco in 2005, and has quickly grown into one of the top comic book and graphic novel publishing companies in the world. Zenescope’s Grimm Fairy Tales and subsequent spinoff series such as Wonderland, Neverland and Robyn Hood, which put a dark twist on classic fables, are some of the best-selling and longest-running original independent comic books on shelves today. Zenescope publishes and develops both original and licensed material and has worked with dozens of clients that include Discovery Channel, History Channel, CBS, Lionsgate TV, Mandalay Vision, New Line Cinema, Titmouse Studios and many others.

Ever since Grimm Fairy Tales transformed from a anthology style book into the flagship title of the Grimm Universe, we have heard about these four realms. Four realms of power that are inexorably linked to Earth and have shaped it’s inhabitants for generations. Up until now readers have experienced the worlds of Myst, Wonderland and Neverland in various miniseries and regular series with characters meeting, living and dying right before our eyes. But Oz has always been behind a curtain, talked about and glimpsed sparingly since we all got our first look at the final realm in the conclusion of The Dream Eater Saga back in 2011.

This year, that all changes.

July will see the launch of Oz, a new series written by Zenescope President Joe Brusha that will fling open the doors and put the spotlight firmly on Dorothy, the Wicked Witch and, yes, flying monkeys. The Zenescope faithful will finally learn all about the fourth realm of power and how it fits in with the rest of the ever expanding Grimm Universe.

And if ever a concept was perfect for the type of stories Zenescope likes to tell, it’s Oz.

Oz has all the elements that make for a great Zenescope series. You have the beautiful yet tough as nails heroine in Dorothy, the tailor-made for Zenescope villain in the Wicked Witch and easily one of the best and most original supporting casts in literature in the Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman and the rest.

And did I mention the flying monkeys?

If you need further proof, just look what Zenescope did with Wonderland. If you ever read the original story by Lewis Carroll, then you know there was already a wealth of material and story ideas there to play with, but what Raven Gregory managed to do is something else entirely. He took the story of Alice and turned it into a generational saga of one family’s war against the realm of madness. Look at his Cheshire Cat or the Jabberwocky, do they seem like anything Lewis Carroll might have had in mind when he wrote Alice in Wonderland? No, instead they were transformed into some of the scariest and most entertaining characters in the Grimm Universe.

Now just imagine what Joe Brusha and the rest of the warped minds at Zenescope could do with something like Oz. The directions they could go in are practically endless. I’m getting dizzy just thinking about the variant cover possibilities alone. Imagine what Anthony Spay or Jamie Tyndall will come up with with that cast of characters, it boggles the mind.

So when we all finally get to see Oz this July, get ready to be amazed. If could be one of the best pairings in the history of comics: Zenescope and Oz, a match made in heaven.